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Magical Mystery Tour ~ Page 2
 

And talking of the Beatles...the Beatles' Story Museum in the Albert Dock is the world's only Beatles' themed visitor attraction. It tells the Beatles' story from their early days in the 1950s, until their break up in 1970. Very nostalgic if you were a teen in the 1960s.

 

The "magic" words Cavern Club - The Beatles played there 274 times, as a result it went on to become one of the most famous venues in the world. In December 1999 Sir Paul McCartney played his last gig of the century at the club.


Opposite the Cavern Club and next to the entrance to The Cavern Pub is a life-size figure of John Lennon. The pub also has a "Wall of Fame", opened in 1997 by local musicians Gerry Marsden, Billy J. Kramer and George Melly. The "Wall" forms the entire façade of the pub and each brick is inscribed with over 1,800 names of the bands that played in the Cavern since it opened in 1957 - The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Status Quo, Rod Stewart, and Queen to name just a few.

 

Forthlin Road - In 1955 this became the home of Sir Paul McCartney. The house was a rehearsal room for the Beatles, and "Love Me Do" and "I Saw Her Standing There" were written in the front parlour. The house is now owned by The National Trust, and can only be visited on booked tours.

 

"Mendips" Menlove Avenue - The childhood home of John Lennon where he lived with his aunt and uncle. The front porch and the bedroom above is where he and Paul practised their guitar and songs in the pre-Beatle days. "Please Please Me" was one of the songs that began life at Mendips. When the house was for sale a few years ago it was bought by Yoko Ono and donated to The National Trust to preserve an important piece of British musical history.


Another Liverpool son and legend Billy Fury was born in Garston in 1940. This life size bronze statue, commissioned by "The Sound of Fury" and created by Liverpool artist Tom Murphy was unveiled by his mother Jean Wycherley and his brother Albie in April 2003. Billy Fury's total record sales were on a par with Elvis, The Beatles and Cliff Richard and one of the most famous stars in the history of British Rock and Roll. The statue of a young family by sculptor Mark De Graffenried was given to the people of Liverpool by the Mormon Church. It commemorates the migration of the many families from all over Europe who embarked on their pioneering voyages from Liverpool to start a new life in America.

 

A former one-man police station and allegedly never de-commissioned, so technically it's still a police station.

 

The Yellow Duckmarine (locally known as the Wacker Quacker), is a former World War 2 ship to shore transporter, now used to transport people on guided tours around the streets and docks of Liverpool. The DUKWS were built in the USA and started life in the mid 1940's, many being used in the D-Day landings and other wartime operations.

 

The Duckmarine mirrored in the windows of the Leo Casino overlooking Queens Dock.

 

When the Albert Dock was built, the close proximity of the warehouses to the water allowed for the rapid unloading and turn around of ships which provided security for their valuable cargoes. After the ships cargoes such as brandy, tea, cotton, silk, tobacco and sugar were unloaded they then moved to Salthouse Dock to load up with goods for export. At the time Jesse Hartley (1780-1860) designed and built the Albert Dock and its warehouses he was surveyor to the Liverpool Dock Trustees and the highest-paid engineer in the country. In the 36 years he spent working for the Liverpool Dock Trustees Hartley either built or altered every dock in the city.

 


Continued on Page Three -  Please click here  

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